Culips Everyday English Podcast

Why does paying with cash feel different from tapping your phone? In this Chatterbox episode, Andrew and Anna talk about the psychology of spending money. They share what they happily pay extra for, what they refuse to spend on, and the small tricks companies use to get more money out of our wallets. Along the way, they look at why we sometimes feel like we got a great deal even when we just spent five times what we intended.

Listening to many natural responses is one of the best ways to build your everyday listening skills in English.

The Best Way to Learn with This Episode:

Culips members get an interactive transcript, helpful study guide, and ad-free audio for this episode. Take your English to the next level by becoming a Culips member. Become a Culips member now: Click here:

Members can access the ad-free version here: Click here.

Join our Discord community to connect with other learners and get more English practice. Click here to join.

References:

Dan Ariely TED Talk, Are we in control of our own decisions? — Watch here:

American Psychological Association, The psychology of spending* — Read here:

🔑 Key expressions

Keep an ear out for these phrases during the episode:

To recoil

Hit or miss

To break a bill

Couldn’t give a toss

To be averse to

To game

How do you answer the question, “How are you?” It sounds simple, but native English speakers actually use a wide variety of answers. In this Real Talk episode, Andrew and Kassy share more than 30 common replies, including standard answers, sarcastic ones, and phrases people use on a busy or tough day. They explain what each phrase really means and the situations where you’ll hear it.

Listening to many natural responses is one of the best ways to build your everyday listening skills in English.

The best way to learn with this episode:

Culips members get an interactive transcript, a helpful study guide, and ad-free audio for this episode. Take your English to the next level by becoming a Culips member.

Become a Culips member now

Members can access the ad-free version here

Join our Discord community to connect with other learners and get more English practice:

https://discord.gg/Bpxa85CFuc

🔑 Key expressions

Keep an ear out for these phrases during the episode:

To put someone through the wringer

A scholar and a gentleman

Murky

Not one’s cup of tea

To be foiled

To chuck something

Have you ever felt the fear of missing out on something exciting? In this bonus episode, Andrew talks about FOMO, finding yourself in a funk, exercising your green thumb, and growing your own food. Listen along to learn some vocabulary that will help make your English more natural and to improve your listening fluency.

The Study Materials for This Episode Are Free:

The interactive transcript, study guide, and quiz for this episode are free for everyone. No membership needed. Get them here 

Become a Culips member to get study materials for every episode, live speaking classes, ad-free audio, member-only perks, and more. http://culips.co to join.

Join our Discord community to connect with other learners and get more English practice. https://discord.gg/Bpxa85CFuc

English Expressions featured in this episode

FOMO

On the ball

To full send (it)

To throw your hat into the ring

To keep your eyes peeled

To mull (something) over

To hit (someone) like a ton of bricks

To snap (yourself) out of (something)

In a funk

Green thumb

From Cornwall to Bangkok: Cycling, Podcasting, and Pop Culture with Michael Lavers

Would you leave England to start a new life in Bangkok? Would you plan a cycling trip across an entire country?

In this episode, Andrew interviews Michael Lavers from the Level Up English Podcast, a British podcaster who is doing exactly that. They chat about growing up in Cornwall, moving to Thailand, cycling adventures, and the challenges of learning Thai. Andrew ends the conversation with some quick questions about British pop culture that surprise even Michael!

Listening to long conversations like this one is a fantastic way to improve your listening skills and pick up natural English expressions in context.

📚 Study Materials

The interactive transcript, study guide, and quizzes for this episode are 100% free for everyone. No membership is needed!

Become a Culips Member: Get study materials for every episode, plus live speaking classes, ad-free audio, member-only perks, and more.

Join Our Discord Community: Connect with other learners and get real-time English practice.

Check out Michael’s podcast: Level Up English Podcast

🔑 Key Expressions

Keep an ear out for these phrases during the episode:

To put someone through the wringer

A scholar and a gentleman

Murky

Not one’s cup of tea

To be foiled

To chuck something

Have you ever returned food at a restaurant? Fired a real gun? Used a fake ID to buy alcohol? Andrew and Indiana play Never Have I Ever in this episode, a popular North American game where players share the surprising things they have or have not done in their lives. Who has done more? Listen to find out, and learn some useful English expressions along the way.

Listening to natural English conversations like this one is a great way to improve your fluency.

The Best Way to Learn with This Episode:

Culips members get an interactive transcript, helpful study guide, and ad-free audio for this episode. Take your English to the next level by becoming a Culips member. Become a Culips member now: Click here

Members can access the ad-free version: Click here.

Join our Discord community to connect with other learners and get more English practice. Click here to join.